Exclusively dealing with local ads and SEO content, the local trust module is indispensable to search engines. Back in 2020, a verification badge marker indicated highly trustworthy websites.
If your website feels stoic or it takes tons of scrolling down local search ranking, it’s time to switch things around.
If you’re stuck in a rut or want the Google algorithm to notice your site, read on to uncover a package of solutions.
Amateur to Master: Evolution of Google Algorithm
Basic concepts of local trust module in SEO and the current trends will only be valuable if you know the realm’s history. Here’s an opportunity to brush up your research skills before you turn the face of your website 360°:
- Mid 2000s
The rise of Google Search and Yahoo marked the birth of Search Engine Optimization. Overusing keywords, backlinks and meta tags was where online creators’ strategy began and ceased. The simplicity of the process gave way to spam and fraud. Various websites manipulated this and served poor content.
The search engine trust’s response to this was updating the algorithm. Technical modifications allowed more authentic search results to break the rankings.
- Late 2000s
The mid and late 2000s dove further into Google algorithm upgrades. Big Daddy and Florida factored search rankings. Moreover, end-users across the globe had to align their strategies to persist. Additionally, the ultimate goal of website creators was to enhance the published content. Consequently, with better quality content, local search rankings could offer precise and engaging results.
Furthermore, anchor text and link building surfaced in this decade. Additionally, authentic backlinks added to the credibility of the website. In the late 2000s, the local trust module prioritised user experience. Consequently, websites tended to address issues like buffering and usability problems. Ultimately, reliable content, hassle-free user experience, and authoritative links were the main focus.
- The early 2010s
Websites used data like search history and user preference to deliver customised Google search results. It was around this time that Google Maps took over the internet. The commercial world saw this as an opportunity to create online dominance in search engine result pages.
Social media signals took the reigns of the internet. Local search rankings linked social media activity with a website’s relevance and impact. User engagement metrics also vouched for quality websites. The bounce rate and time spent soon became indicators of trustworthy sites.
- Late 2010s
The late 2010s showed a widescope of smartphones. Mobile-friendly websites ranked high in Google search, owing to the factor Mobilegeddon. It gauges the mobile optimisation capability of a website. Moreover, Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP technology was introduced. It facilitated seamless browsing on smartphones.
Voice assistants like Google Assistant and Siri revolutionised the online realm. Local SEO websites began voice-optimizing the content. Simultaneously, visually appealing structured data gained popularity. Search results favoured snippets and features over traditionally presented information.
- Early 2020s
The age of AI pushed the limits of the internet. For instance, Google’s machine learning software, RankBrain, incorporated user intent in the local search rankings. Groundbreaking algorithm updates, including Hummingbird, Panda, and Penguin, busted poor-quality websites and devised rewards for engaging content.
The search engine trust supports websites that fit the E-A-T policy. Expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness in websites is the most recent quality benchmark. Because algorithms today incorporate user intent, the local search rankings are ever more relevant to the user.
Modern local SEO concepts to elevate your website
Tune in with the following local SEO concepts to unveil the true potential of your content:
- E-A-T: EAT is the abbreviation of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and, of course, Trustworthiness. Google search results weigh your website and push it up the algorithms if it passes the three points. Google confirmed that E-A-T has a say in local search ranking evaluations.
- Keywords: When websites directly talk to the reader’s purpose, they are more likely to show up sooner than later. The simplest way to do so is by inserting keywords wherever applicable in the content. The local trust module ranks results with keyword usage in the headings, main body, introduction, and conclusion.
- SEO writing: Local SEO writing characterises readability, strategic keyword usage, bulleted lists, and subheads. Keeping your paragraphs concise and conversational helps drive relevant traffic to your website.
- Visual assets: 36% of consumers spend more time on commercial websites with relevant infographics, images, and videos. It opens a new passage of opportunity for creators to backlink. Make your images easy to share and backlink them without fail to stay ahead of the game of Google algorithms.
- Title tags: Note that the local SEO concepts here maximise the outcome only when you use them collectively. Title tags are HTML components that highlight a web page title. When used correctly and in the context of other concepts, it can boost your SERPs.
- Meta description: If you’ve long since been in the local SEO realm, you’d know this is a controversial topic. If you’re new, here’s an insider scoop: Meta descriptions are a Google-friendly brief of your web page and boost your clickthrough rates or CTRs.
- Image optimisation: Let’s quickly dive into how you can use the local trust module to your benefit. Ensure all your images carry relevant alt tags. Something as simple as renaming your file to the topic it’s on can help you in the long run. Use mobile-friendly images in the appropriate format and file size.
- Geotagging: The global economy, at the end of the day, comes down to your local support.Furthermore, manage your on-page local SEO settings to connect with like-minded individuals. Additionally, geotags help your website pop up on “near me” searches. Ultimately, it is a subtle way to enter the closely-knit web of similar businesses around you.
- Links: Links add credibility to your local SEO website. It backs up what you’re saying, so the readers won’t have to take everything at face value. Internal, outbound, and inbound links are the main types of links. Internal links send the reader to a different page on the same site. Outbound links redirect you to another website altogether. Inbound links guide the readers to your website from another.
- Site speed: If you think buffering websites only lose visitors, you’re wrong. It suppresses your web page further down the rabbit hole of local search rankings. The quickest ways to take result-yielding action are to enable compression, leverage browser caches, minimise redirects, and optimise images.
- Responsive design: Mobile search volume contributes to a majority of internet usage. Google search extensively prioritises mobile-friendly website designs. Sites with mobile-friendly modes serve audiences across all mediums.
- URL structure: Although changes in the Google algorithm have toned down the importance of URL structures, it is undeniably still present. They actively contribute to initial rankings and group pages.
Top 7 Current trends to boost local search ranking
If you wonder what trends you can tune into right away, here are some refined, result-promising trends:
- Audience-friendly
You can check why content went off the rails in quality by tracing it back to traffic-generating methods. For instance, a fashion website posting cooking blogs will mislead its readers and Google searches. Content creators do so to use high search volume keywords alone. Therefore, prioritising the target audience is a hot 2023 trend.
- Author Authority
The Google search engine trust scales user experience on human-generated content. Only anti-AI content offers the readers a realistic and relevant experience. Inserting author bios, author pages, about authors, and linking their socials will only boost the brand’s credibility.
- SEO automation
SEO automation platforms and tools unburden digital marketers’ responsibilities. Keyword tools to boost local SEO eliminate the effort put into making manual lists. SearchAtlas and Content King facilitate site auditing and monitoring. This enables the creators to spot technical bugs.
- SERP and CTRs
Phones and desktops support endless scrolling. It is now possible to navigate through different SERP Google search pages until you’re satisfied with the data. The relationship between clickthrough rates or CTR and SERPs has always favoured the first three results. 2023’s evaluation based on seamless navigation across various pages revolutionised this.
- Local SEO product pages
Product pages can range from FAQs to menu slides to customer reviews. They help customers believe that your site is legit and trustworthy. It ranks you high in local SEO pages and expands your business network. Answering reader questions in your product pages could convert visitors to customers.
- Less crawl frequency
Craw frequency is the scale to gauge the times when web crawlers infiltrate a site. For instance, Googlebot copies data from new websites. It is a problem against Google’s search mission to conserve energy sources. Minimised crawl aligns with the carbon-free energy initiative and makes the website task easy.
Bottom line
At 6s Marketers, we strive to materialise your digital marketing results as much as you, if not more. Our qualified experts have all the cutting-edge tools and the latest tech fixes to revolutionise your digital marketing space. We use ethical methods to put your website on the radar of local search rankings. Trusted by over 100 top-notch brands, our services will soon become your go-to digital
